Great Cape Escape II

“Oh Heavenly day
All the clouds blew away
Got no trouble today
With anyone…”

— Oh Heavenly Day, Patty Griffin

There was a blessing in the air as I arranged the last bag in the back seat and shut the car door firmly. A cool morning, the sun shining, and a prayer on the lips of a good friend had me setting off as planned, Sunday at 9 a.m.

My second annual “great escape” to Cape Cod, I was very much looking forward to the respite that lie ahead. I had started referring to it as a “retreat,” though I suspect that was more because it felt like I was pulling back from the front line of life than spending time in quiet reflection.

Last year’s escape came at the end of a very long six months of work. To use the word “exhausted” would have been understatement. Perhaps that is why I so easily settled into the time off. Last year.

This year was different. This year, my mind was cluttered and spilling over — as I napped on the crisp, white hotel sheets, as I wandered down the beach for the first time, as I restlessly counted the hours until morning. My dreams were scattered and busy, as if my brain was trying desperately to wring itself out.

Thankfully, the Cape was conspiring on my behalf. The first few days were cold and overcast, windy enough for wind-chill factors, begging you to slow down, stay put, read a book. The hotel’s wi-fi was too wonky for words, leaving my email addiction limited to the amount of patience I could muster for the wee keypad of my iPhone. And since I was saving my “what shall I do on the Cape?” internet research for the hotel, I was left with a blank slate for much of the week.

Oh heavenly days!

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LYRICS Oh Heavenly Day, Patty Griffin [listen]
PHOTOS ©2013, Jen Payne